Rainproof shoe cover pair capable of being rapidly put on and taken off

ABSTRACT

A rainproof shoe cover capable of being rapidly put on and taken off includes front and rear cover sheets that are fused together to form a main body of the shoe cover. A fixture is also fused to a joint of the front and rear cover sheets. Slip resisting elements are disposed on two wings of the fixture. A framing strip is embedded along an interior circumference of the front cover sheet to maintain the profile of the shoe cover. A fastening element is laid on a respective side of the rear cover sheet. By use of the fixture, framing strip and fastening elements, the shoe covers can be formed to cover and maintain their outline comprising the side portion, rear portion thereof and a trunk portion on a user thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to bottomless rainproof shoe covers that can be rapidly put on and taken off, which comprise a fixture, a framing strip and fastening elements to provide convenience, endurance, a rugged design and adaptability to shoe profiles.

2. Description of the Prior Art

On rainy days, umbrellas and raincoats are generally used to keep rain off of an individual. However, rainwater is still apt to be absorbed on the legs, shoes and socks, which is a source of trouble. To this end, shoe covers with a bottom have been provided for protecting the shoes from rainwater. However, these shoe covers are suitable only for shoes of a particular shape and thus are not be effective with shoes having different shapes. As for those who use umbrellas, they may not even have show covers to wear.

In Taiwan patent number M244762, an improved wrapping rainproof shoe cover is disclosed. In this case, a shoe cover body has a binding end at a front part thereof. The shoe cover body extends upwards to form a fixing circumference for connection with an article. This invention does provide convenience, but the shoe cover body contacts with and rubs against the ground over extended periods, and thus suffers from failure and poor coverage abilities. Therefore, this invention still has some drawbacks that could be improved.

In view of the problems associated with the prior art, the inventors sets forth a bottomless rainproof shoe cover that can be rapidly put on and taken off to provide a rugged design and improved coverage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bottomless rainproof shoe cover pair that is capable of being rapidly put on and taken off, so that convenience, endurance and shoe profile adaptability thereof can be achieved.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a framing strip fixed on an interior circumference of a front cover sheet in the shoe cover.

It is another feature of the present invention to provide a fastening element at first and second ends of a rear cover sheet, respectively.

It is another feature of the present invention to provide a fixture along a seam of the front and rear cover sheets.

It is another feature of the present invention to provide a fixture that includes a spring, a buffering piece, slip resisting elements, fixing elements and a cover strip.

It is another feature of the present invention to provide a framing strip formed by a shape memory wire, a plastic rod, a thin wire cable, or a thin spring.

It is another feature of the present invention to provide the framing strip that is formed as a single element.

It is another feature of the present invention that the buffering piece is made from rubber, a silica gel, or an inflated version thereof.

It is another feature of the present invention that the front and rear cover sheets are made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or thermoplastic silicone.

It is yet another feature of the present invention that the front cover sheet is formed from a laminated long fiber tissue or a thermoplastic mesh.

It is still another feature of the present invention that the laminated long fiber tissue or thermoplastic mesh is made from polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or nylon.

The above and other objects, advantages and principle will be further explained below taken from the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottomless rainproof shoe cover capable of being put on and taken off rapidly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a bottomless rainproof shoe cover capable of being put on and taken off rapidly according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a bottomless rainproof shoe cover capable of being put on and taken off rapidly at a fixture thereof according to the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a framing strip of a bottomless rainproof shoe cover capable of being put on and taken off rapidly according to the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional diagram of the framing strip shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fixing element of a bottomless rainproof shoe cover capable of being put on and taken off rapidly according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of fastening elements of a bottomless rainproof shoe cover capable of being put on and taken off rapidly according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a bottomless rainproof shoe cover capable of being put on and taken off rapidly when being put on a shoe and a leg according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a bottomless rainproof shoe cover capable of being rapidly put on and taken off. For the sake of simplicity in the following description, a shoe cover pair is generally described using only a single shoe cover.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a bottomless rainproof shoe cover 1 (one of a pair of shoe covers of the present invention) comprises a front cover sheet 10, a rear cover sheet 11, a framing strip 12 and a fixture 13.

The front cover sheet 10 is substantially in the form of a cover body, is made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or thermoplastic silicone, and made by thermal compression molding, injection molding, or liquid injection molding. Alternatively, the front cover sheet 10 may be a laminated long fiber tissue or a thermoplastic mesh, which may be, for example, made of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or nylon. Two rows of embedding protrusions 101 are formed along an interior circumference of the front cover sheet 10 and the above-mentioned framing strip 12 is embedded between the embedding protrusions 101. Glue fills the embedding protrusions 101 to affix the framing strip 12 between the two rows of embedding protrusions 101. Although two rows of embedding protrusions 101 are disclosed, other means of embedding the framing strip 10 along the interior circumference of the front cover sheet 10 are envisaged and possible in the present invention.

The rear cover sheet 11 is substantially in the form of a hollow sleeve having an “L” shape and may be, for example, made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or thermoplastic silicone, and may be formed by thermal compression molding, injection molding, or liquid injection molding. Two ends (not labeled but can be referred to FIG. 6) are formed on the rear cover sheet 11. The two ends can each overlap the other to some extent. Fastening elements 110, 111 are formed on one and the other of the two open ends, respectively.

The front cover sheet 10 and rear cover sheet 11 each have a front end and a rear end, and are brought together at one of their respective ends. Then, a fixture 13 is fixed onto the joint between the front and rear cover sheets 10, 11. The main body of the bottomless rainproof shoe cover 1 is thus formed.

Then, the framing strip 12 is laid along the front cover sheet 10 and formed as a ladder shape along the front-most end of the front shoe cover 10, as shown in the figures. The framing strip 12 may be implemented with a shape memory wire, a thin wire cable, or a thin spring. The plastic material for the framing strip 12 may be Polyperpropylene (PET), nylon, poly-carbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), or acrylonnitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). More details about the framing strip 12 are provided in the following.

The fixture 13 has two symmetrical portions (as shown in FIG. 3) and fixing elements 133 are formed thereon, respectively. Each of the fixing elements 133 has a respective fixing hole 1330 formed thereon. The framing strip 12 is not only embedded and fixed between the embedding protrusions 101 by way of the glue as discussed above, but also has two ends that may be inserted into the respective fixing holes 1330. In this manner, the bottomless rainproof shoe cover 1 is further reinforced in its profile.

The fixture 13 is approximately a “C” shaped clip and comprises a spring 130, a buffering piece 131, slip resisting elements 132, fixing elements 133 and a cover strip 134. The spring 130 is bent into the shape of a “C” with two wings thereof flexed respectively like a hairpin. The spring 130 may be formed from a snake spring. A buffering material 131 is disposed along the interior rim of the spring 130 and may be formed from rubber or silicon or inflated versions thereof. In this way discomfort arising from direct contact and abrasion between the spring 130 and the shoe cover sheet portion therebelow is avoided. A cover strip 134 covers the spring 130 and buffering material 131 and through which the spring 130 and buffering material 131 are fused together with the front and rear cover sheets 10, 11. The two wings of the spring 130 are bonded and affixed with the fixing elements 133, which are disposed on the spring 130, for fixing the two ends of the framing strip 12. The slip resisting elements 132 are disposed on a top face and a bottom face of the two wings of the horizontal portions of the fixture 13 (the spring 130, and termed as upper and lower slip resisting elements 132), respectively, to resist any slippage occurring between the spring 130 and the slip resisting elements 132. The slip resisting elements 132 may be implemented by grids or dot embossments, so that wear-resistance and endurance of the shoe cover are enhanced. With this fixing effect, the bottomless rainproof shoe cover 1 can be put on and taken off rapidly and user convenience and abrasion resist functions thereof can be provided therefor.

In an embodiment, the front and rear cover sheets 10, 11 may be formed in a singe body by injection molding. Further, the front and rear cover sheets 10, 11 may be additionally combined with a framing strip 12 and a fixture 13. Regardless of whether the front and rear cover sheets 10,11 are formed in a single body or combined, the framing strip 12 may be omitted. In embodiments without the framing strip 12, the front-most portion of the front cover sheet 10 may be enhanced for structural strength. A bottomless rainproof cover sheet 1 without the framing strip 12 is thus formed.

Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, when the shoe cover is put on, the buffering piece 131 is disposed against the side portions of the shoe cover and the two horizontal wings of the fixture 13 clip the indented portion 140 on the shoe bottom. The slip resisting elements 132 are disposed against the upper and lower faces of the two wings of the fixture 13. The upper part of the slip resisting elements 132 can enhance the fixing effect of the shoe cover, while the lower part of the slip resisting elements 132 can increase the endurance of the shoe cover.

In addition, the ladder shaped portion formed by the front part of the framing strip 12 is located at the front rim A of the front cover sheet 10, so as to reduce the possibility of abrasion with the ground of the front portion of the front cover sheet 10 and improve the endurance of the shoe cover.

Referring to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the embedding protrusions 101 are disposed on a wall of an interior circumference of the front cover sheet 10 for receiving and fixing the framing strip 12 (described in the sense that the framing strip 12 is embedded in the embedding protrusions 101). In addition, glue is filled between the protrusions 101 for further fixation of the framing strip 12. The framing strip 12 may be formed from a shape memory wire, a thin wire cable, or a thin spring. At the same time, the ladder shaped portion formed by the front part of the framing strip 12 is located at the front rim A of the front cover sheet, so as to reduce the possibility of abrasion with the ground of the front portion of the shoe and shoe covers and improve the endurance of the shoe covers.

Referring to FIG. 5, the fixture 13 is fused between the front cover sheet 10 and rear cover sheet 11. The fixture 13 has two wings, which are welded or nailed to a fixing element 133, respectively. In the center of each of the fixing elements 133, a tube-like fixing hole 1330 is formed, respectively. The two ends of the framing strip 12 are inserted into the fixing holes 1330, respectively. As such, the structural strength of the profile of the front cover sheet 10 is enhanced.

Referring to FIG. 6, the rear cover sheet 11, as above-mentioned, has two ends, which can be overlapped to some extent. On the two ends, an inner side of one of the two ends has a fastening element 111 disposed thereon, while an outer side 110 of the other end has a fastening element 110 disposed thereon. When a user puts the shoe cover on his shoe, the fastening elements, 111, 110 couple or adhere to each other. As such, different sizes of shoes can be covered by the shoe cover by adjusting the fastening range between the two ends of the rear cover sheet 11.

Referring to FIG. 7, a schematic diagram of the bottomless rainproof shoe cover 1 capable of being put on and taken off rapidly when being put onto a shoe 14 and a leg 15 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown therein. The front cover 10 covers the shoe 14 at a front portion, the framing strip 12 goes along the front-most portion of the shoe 14, the fixture 13 is located along the shoe side positions, and the rear cover sheet 11 covers the shoe heel, and the leg 15 of the user. Therefore, the bottomless rainproof shoe cover 1 provides good protection from rainwater as well as convenience in terms of being put on and taken off.

It is to be understand that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown. 

1. A bottomless rainproof shoe cover comprising a front cover sheet, a rear cover sheet, a framing strip and a fixture, wherein: the front cover sheet and the rear cover sheet are coupled together along a joint, the front cover sheet having a first embedding protrusion and a second embedding protrusion formed thereon along an interior rim thereof and glue filled between the first and second embedding protrusions, the fixture having a “C”-like shape, is coupled to the joint, and comprises a spring, a buffering piece, a cover strip and a first wing and a second wing, the first and second wings thereof each having the spring and a fixing element, each fixing element having a fixing hole formed thereon, the framing strip having first and second ends, being each inserted into the first and second fixation holes, respectively, and the rear cover sheet having a first overlapping end and a second overlapping end on which a fastening element is disposed, respectively, so that the first and second overlapping ends can couple to each other for being put on and taken off.
 2. The bottomless rainproof shoe cover according to claim 1, wherein the framing strip comprises a shape memory wire, a plastic rod, a wire cable, or a thin spring.
 3. The bottomless rainproof shoe cover according to claim 2, wherein the plastic rod is made of a material comprising Polyperpropylene (PET), nylon, poly-carbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), and acrylonnitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).
 4. The bottomless rainproof shoe cover according to claim 1, further comprising a buffering piece.
 5. The bottomless rainproof shoe cover according to claim 4, wherein the buffering piece is made of a material comprising rubber, a silica gel or an inflated version thereof.
 6. The bottomless rainproof shoe cover according to claim 1, wherein the shoe cover is formed as a single body.
 7. The bottomless rainproof shoe cover according to claim 1, wherein each of the front and rear cover sheets is made of a material comprising thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or thermoplastic silicone.
 8. The bottomless rainproof shoe cover according to claim 1, wherein the front cover sheet has a structure comprising a laminated long fiber tissue or a thermoplastic mesh.
 9. The bottomless rainproof shoe cover according to claim 8, wherein the laminated long fiber tissue or thermoplastic mesh are made from polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or nylon.
 10. The bottomless rainproof shoe cover according to claim 1, wherein the spring is a snake spring.
 11. A bottomless rainproof shoe cover comprising a front cover sheet, a rear cover sheet and a fixture, wherein: the front cover sheet and the rear cover sheet are fused together along a joint, the fixture comprises a spring, a buffering piece, a slip resisting element, and a cover strip, and the rear cover sheet has a first wing and a second wing, each having a fastening element, respectively, and the first and second wings are able to couple together to be put on and taken off. 